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Chaos Node
This article pertains specifically to the '''Chaos Node', and explains only how it is different from other Nodes. For information about how Nodes work in general, see Node.'' A Chaos Node is a type of Terrain Special, and one of 3 different types of Nodes in the game. It is a superior type of Terrain Special, acting simultaneously as a source, an Encounter Zone, and a special terrain type. Initially, Chaos Nodes are guarded by a contingent of Fantastic Units. Once these have been removed, any Wizard may send a or to Meld with the Node, thus acquiring a constant input of based on the Node's coverage area. A Chaos Node on the Plane of Myrror (which can have a 10 - 20 tile zone of influence) produces more than one located on Arcanus (that can cover between 5 - 10 tiles), but is usually also protected by much more powerful creatures. Typically, several Chaos Nodes are placed randomly around the map at the start of the game, and cannot be removed or added. The terrain under a Chaos Node is always changed into a special type of Volcano tile, which behaves like a Mountain tile in terms of its benefits to nearby Towns. The presence of the Chaos Node itself causes oddities in the magical field. It is much harder to successfully cast non- spells during combat at a Chaos Node. Also, the output of from the Node boosts the abilities of all Fantastic Units during any battle within the Node's area of influence. Chaos Nodes react to several types of "Conjunction" Events. During a Chaos Conjunction, the Node produces twice as much as normal. During other Conjunctions, it may produce half, or no at all. Description The Chaos Node is a location where the barrier between the primal planes (Arcanus and Myrror) and the is weak, allowing to seep through in great quantities. This seepage of energy causes a Volcano to rise around the Node itself. Also, creatures from the may cross through from their native Plane into the material Planes, and will aggressively protect the Node against anyone who dares approach it. On the overland map, Chaos Nodes appear very similar to regular Volcanoes, but have a wide, gaping caldera that glows with red energy. Volcanoes are generally rare to begin with (and are nonexistent when the game starts), so Chaos Nodes should be easy to spot on either Plane. Distribution and Terrain The game will randomly generate Chaos Nodes on the map when creating the world for a new campaign. The number of Chaos Nodes appearing on any map and the locations of these Nodes are both random. It is thus possible to get a map with very few Chaos Nodes on either Plane. While it is also theoretically possible to have no Chaos Node on one of the Planes, the probability of this is extremely low in game versions v1.1+ (the general article on Nodes explores Node generation in more detail). When a Chaos Node is created on the world map, it will always be resting on top of a Volcano tile. It is treated as a Volcano for all purposes of calculating movement speed through this tile. However, as explained below, the tile acts as a Mountain for purposes of providing terrain benefits to nearby towns. It also enables the construction of a Miners' Guild, and any other Town Buildings that depend on this structure. It is not possible to alter the tile underneath a Chaos Node with terrain-altering spells like or . Building Settlements on top of a Chaos Node is also prohibited. It is, however, possible to build a Road or Enchanted Road across the Node. On the other hand, in the last official game version, the spell can actually alter a Chaos Node's tile, by turning the Volcano into a Hill tile, while leaving the properties of the Chaos Node itself unchanged. Unfortunately, this also causes the tile's appearance to change and no longer reflect the presence of a Chaos Node (although it will still be visible in the Surveryor (F1) and functions just like it did before in every other respect except terrain benefits to nearby Towns). This bug is corrected in the Unofficial Patch 1.50. Terrain Bonuses When using the Surveyor (F1) tool, the terrain underneath a Chaos Node will show up as a "Volcano", a typically barren type of tile that does not produce any benefits. Unlike a normal Volcano however, the Chaos Node is actually stable enough to allow access to the resources hidden underneath its rocky ridges. When a Chaos Node tile is within the catchment area of a Town, that Town's rate is increased by . In other words, the total of the Town's citizens is boosted by , rounded down. This is identical to the bonus given by Mountain tiles.Therefore, the Chaos Node should be treated as a Mountain when considering whether or not to Settle in its vicinity. For example, if all of the Town's citizens yield together, each Chaos Node in the Town's vicinity will increase this output by . This speeds up the construction of any Town Building or Normal Unit in the City by a small amount. Encounter Zone | ZoneType = Node }} Combat in a Chaos Node Whenever combat occurs within the same tile as a Chaos Node, or even within its vicinity, special rules come into effect that may alter the outcome significantly. Generally-speaking, -wielding wizards will have a relatively easier time doing battle in this area, whereas other wizards may encounter considerable difficulties. As a result, the Chaos Node can also be a strategic asset. *During battle inside the Chaos Node's own tile, the node is capable of dispelling any non- spells as they are being cast. *During combat on any of the tiles in the Chaos Node's area of influence, all Fantastic Units receive powerful bonuses to their combat stats. Both of these effects are visible when clicking the "Info" button during battle. This is a good way of telling whether combat is taking place within a Node's area of influence (and is the only way of doing this if the Node has not yet been Melded with). Chaos Node Dispelling Aura The massive output of energy from the Chaos Node interferes with the casting of combat spells. During battles that take place on the same tile where the Chaos Node itself is, any attempt to cast a combat spell of any kind that is not from the Realm (including spells) must face being countered by the Node. This "dispelling attempt" occurs immediately upon selecting the spell for casting - before any target can be chosen. If it succeeds, the spell will fizzle and have no effect. The strength of the dispel is equal to , which means that the formula for calculating its success is as follows: Chance = 50 / (50 + TSCC) × 100 Where "TSCC" is the total (modified) Casting Cost of the spell which the Node is targeting. For example, if attempting to cast a spell with a total of invested (with reductions, if any), the chance of it being countered is as follows: Chance = 50 / (50 + 25) × 100 = 50 / 75 × 100 = 0.66 × 100 = a 66% chance to counter this spell as it's being cast. spells of any kind will bypass this effect entirely. They will never be dispelled by the Chaos Node regardless of their type or Casting Cost. The Node Mastery Retort also allows a Wizard (and any units under their control) to cast spells from any Realm inside any Node, without being subjected to its dispelling effects. Such Wizards possess a clear advantage in Node combat. Chaos Node Unit Bonus Aura The Node emits another special aura within its area of influence. All Fantastic Units from the Realm receive a set of very important bonuses while fighting here. These are: * , * , * , * and . Although the enhancement to and Attack Strength only applies if the unit possesses such an attack by default, the Ranged Attack bonus applies to all types of Ranged Attacks, including short-range ones (i.e. , , Doom Gaze). All Fantastic Units associated with the Realm are affected (including units), regardless of their owner. Other units are not affected in any way. These bonuses are extremely potent, and have several strategic implications. For starters, this means that the original creatures guarding a Chaos Node (which are all from the Realm by definition) are much harder to defeat than similar creatures encountered in other locations. Furthermore, the fact that this effect also applies in the vicinity of the Chaos Node means that the entire area is a great place for creatures to mount a defense or an attack. An army comprised mostly or entirely of creatures has a considerable advantage inside this aura. Assaulting an enemy army made up of such creatures, while it is in the vicinity of a Chaos Node, is thus typically a bad idea, and should be avoided if at all possible. Finally, this means that any -wielding Wizard is encouraged to build Towns within the area of influence of a Chaos Node, and protect those Town with garrisons of creatures. This will make these Towns much harder to conquer. Controlling Nodes The process of controlling and Melding with a Chaos Node is identical to that of any other Node. Successfully accomplishing this reveals the Node's entire area of influence as glowing tiles around it, that sparkle with the color of the controlling Wizard. The Node then generates one point of every turn for each such tile, adjusted by the game's Magic Intensity Setting (half if "Weak", 150% if "Powerful" - Insecticide and later patches replace these option names with simply the multiplier value instead). Retorts There are several Retorts available that will boost the amount of acquired from each of a Node's glowing tiles. For Chaos Nodes, the two Retorts that affect this are Chaos Mastery and Node Mastery. With either of these Retorts, each glowing tile produces twice as much as it would otherwise. For example, when playing in a "Normal" Magic Intensity world, a Wizard with Chaos Mastery will get from each glowing tile belonging to a Chaos Node. The effect from these Retorts is cumulative. Therefore, a Wizard possessing both Chaos Mastery and Node Mastery will get 4 times as much from each Node tile! This can amount to a massive boost of , and encourages such a Wizard to gain control of as many Chaos Nodes as they can, as early as they can. Random Effects on Node Output As with any other Node, the output of the Chaos Node is mostly static, and will remain the same throughout the game. The exceptions occur, as explained in the article on Nodes, through the use of the spell, through acquisition of new Retorts, and as a result of "Conjunction" Events. The most common effect on a Chaos Node's output is a "Conjunction" of magic: a random Event which affects the power output of all Nodes simultaneously, for a short period of time. Conjunctions Conjunctions are one of the most common random Events in the game, mainly because they are actually a group of multiple similar Events. There is a chance that such an Event will occur on the start of any given turn. A Conjunction will always last for at least 5 turns, after which it will have a cumulative 5% chance of ending naturally every turn. There are three types of Conjunctions that affect Chaos Node. Of these, Chaos Conjunctions are obviously best. When these are in play, each tile within each Chaos Node's area of influence produces twice as much as normal for its controlling Wizard (cumulative with the Retorts above, although all roundings are separate and downward). Naturally, if no Wizard is currently in control of a Chaos Node, that node produces no for anyone anyway. Conjunctions of Nature and Conjunctions of Sorcery, on the other hand, will halve all output of every Chaos Node while they are in effect. Wizards with many Chaos Nodes under their control but few other types are therefore in trouble, having a greatly reduced income of . Unfortunately, there is no way to expedite the end of a Conjunction. During a Conjunction of Chaos, empires with plenty of Chaos Nodes under their control will usually go on the offensive, or use magic to develop their assets to terrifying strength. During other Conjunctions, such empires are weak and make good targets for a sudden invasion. Paying attention to the types of Nodes controlled by enemy Wizards may thus present strategic opportunities to capitalize on a Conjunction. Although not a "Conjunction" strictly speaking, Mana Short also does fall into this Event category and abides by the same rules as "regular" Conjunctions. During a Mana Short, all sources of are negated, and thus the Chaos Node will cease to provide any, regardless of any other effects. Once the Event ends, output will immediately return to normal. Category:Terrain Specials Category:Nodes Category:Encounter Zones